God of Illusions

After sitting down, the four bosses looked at Bai Xiaofei and Yun Jingshuang with an extremely odd gaze. Bai Xiaofei and Yun Jingshuang would have been scared off if they were females.  The bosses were looking at them the same way the men were looking hungrily at Hu Xian’er during yesterday’s banquet.

“Brother Bai, you are truly a genius businessman. Do you know how much a Blossom Ticket is worth now due to all the speculations?”

Chu Dangyang asked with excitement written all over his face.

“Oh? People are already speculating the Blossom Tickets? I didn't think it would happen so fast.”

Bai Xiaofei did not look surprised at all. He then asked, “What is the current price?”

“Four thousand Amethyst Coins per ticket! Even so, the supply still can’t meet the demand!”

Chu Dangyang nearly yelled this out. It was as if he was the one making all this money.

“My men told me the price has just increased to five thousand.”

Beside him, Jin Erpan intervened and gave them an update on the latest price.

“Don’t worry. The price will only keep increasing in the foreseeable future.” Bai Xiaofei assured them with a slight smile on his face. He put down the glass of wine he was holding and looked at Yun Jingshuang.

“Big Brother Yun, take it out. Otherwise, the four brothers here will probably eat us alive.”

At this, an awkward expression appeared on the four bosses’ faces. They then shot a fervent look at Yun Jingshuang.

“I have four hundred Blossom Tickets here. Each of you will be getting a hundred of them for the price of one thousand Amethyst Coins per ticket. Is everyone fine with this arrangement?”

The four bosses frantically nodded and impatiently took the cases that were prepared for them.

“Dear brothers. Now that all of you have received your share of Blossom Tickets, you are all free to do as you wish with them. However, I hope you will control the rate they’re sold at. This will both maximize the benefits you guys stand to gain and maintain the stability of the Blossom Rankings.”

Bai Xiaofei gave them a final reminder after they all received their allotted Blossom Tickets.

“Don’t worry, brother. Although this idea isn't ours, we still know how to best make use of it. We won’t cause any trouble for you.”

Xie Guangyun promptly answered, clearly unable to contain his joy. Now that business was over, the four bosses stood up.

“We must return to finish our preparations. Therefore, we won’t be bothering you two any longer. Let us work well together in the future!”

After receiving what they were there for, the four bosses could no longer wait to see the outcome of these tickets. 

 “You are too polite, brothers. I will still need the help of the four of you for tonight’s auction. Don’t be late, alright?”

Bai Xiaofei stood up and reminded them after exchanging some pleasantries.

“Absolutely!”

After sending all four of them off with Yun Jingshuang, Bai Xiaofei heaved a sigh of relief.

“It’s a pity you are not a merchant. I feel that you’d be capable of creating a legendary merchant group comparable with even the Globe Merchant Group.”

Yun Jingshuang commented sincerely, yet Bai Xiaofei shook his head.

“I can only prance around in a small place like this. If I were to really encounter those huge monsters from the outside world, I would probably be scared shitless.”

Bai Xiaofei laughed it off.

“Have you made the announcement yet? Make sure to market it properly.”

“Don’t worry. Lately, everyone’s attention is on the Blossom Pavilion. I reckon even me sneezing will make the headlines.”

As soon as he said this, the two of them looked at each other with a knowing smile. Meanwhile, when the four bosses returned to their respective stores, they took out the banners they had prepared in advance: “Shop here and stand a chance to win Blossom Tickets!"

The news spread like wildfire, attracting those interested in the Blossom Rankings itself as well as those interested in making a fortune off Blossom Tickets. In less than half an hour, the entrances of all four stores were already crowded with people.

It was as Xie Guangyun had said. The four of them were indeed capable of maximizing the benefits they could gain from the Blossom Tickets. To sum it up, all four of them had come up with several different methods of milking the Blossom Tickets.

Firstly, those who spent a certain amount of money shopping in their stores would be entitled for a single lucky draw, with no limit to the number of times a person could enter the lucky draw. In other words, a person could draw as many times as they wished so long as they were willing to spend.

Secondly, those who had purchased a sufficient amount of designated items would immediately receive a Blossom Ticket. This was limited to three tickets per person each day.

Thirdly, a consumer ranking was set up. Each day, the highest spender would receive a Blossom Ticket at closing time. The moment these promotions were announced, the sales figures of all four stores started shooting up rapidly. Numerous goods that had been collecting dust for ages suddenly transformed into best sellers. In a short few hours, the demand already exceeded the supply.

All other stores coveted their success. Everyone wanted to know where they had obtained their Blossom Tickets from. It was then that Yun Jingshuang attracted everyone's attention with his announcement.

At nine o’clock tonight, an auction would be held at the Blossom Pavilion where cooperative rights would be auctioned off. A total of ten stores would be able to obtain a cooperative right. It was also announced that the four stores with Blossom Tickets were merely testing the implementation of this right.

Various business owners of Starnet Academy started rubbing their hands together in anticipation. They began gathering money frantically as they waited for nine o’clock to come. Finally the nine o’clock auction arrived as scheduled.

As the hosts, Bai Xiaofei and Yun Jingshuang took on the role of welcoming the guests once again. The joy in their hearts grew with the arrival of each boss. Every single one of these bosses were tycoons! The four bosses had also arrived as planned. They gave Bai Xiaofei and Yun Jingshuang a reassuring look when they walked by. When everyone was seated, Bai Xiaofei and Yun Jingshuang leisurely walked onto the stage. A total of one hundred guests were seated below the stage.

Although not all the bosses of Starnet Academy were present, a majority of them were there. The absentees were those who either lacked competitive strength or had businesses like the Ethereal Pavilion, only selling products with limited growth potential.

“I'll get straight to the point. We will only be auctioning one thing today, which I believe everyone already know what that is. Therefore, we won’t be wasting any time. Let us start with the first cooperative right, with the starting price of one million Amethyst Coins!”

The crowd turned restless. In a way, the first round of an auction was very important as it would decide on how high the price of the subsequent rounds could reach.

“Brother, you are being too modest. One million Amethyst Coins is an insult to a masterpiece like the Blossom Ticket. I bid ten million!”

Xie Guangyun played his part seriously and made the first bid. Immediately after, those who couldn’t remain calm started bidding as well. However, the price did not increase much. Finally, the bids stopped after the price reached 23 million.

“Fellow bosses, I see that you are all being really courteous today. Since everyone is so polite, don’t fight with me then. This way, I can go home earlier. Thirty million Amethyst Coins!”

Xie Guangyun stood up once again and pushed the price to a new level. This was his role tonight: to artificially inflate the price! As for the three other bosses who had remained silent thus far, they all had their respective missions as well. The business world has always been a scheming one.